1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display devices and, more particularly, to display devices that incorporate both some type of character and an optical assembly which can project a virtual image. The display device may be incorporated into various outer housings such as dolls, jewelry boxes or any type of box or package used to ship items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In today""s market it is becoming increasingly important to provide products which are aesthetically pleasing in addition to having useful functions. Consumers are becoming more and more demanding and desirous of packaging and products that will not only look good in a storefront but serve some additional purpose as either a display or novelty item. Towards that end, many manufacturers have placed either attractive designs on the outside of the boxes they ship their products in, or alternatively, have used various types of characters in order to induce people to purchase their products. Sometimes these characters are either depicted as an image on a box or occasionally sold on their own as a three-dimensional figure or doll.
Occasionally a purchaser may see such a character either depicted as an image on a package or as a full three-dimensional figure and may wonder what the character is thinking. Some solutions previously proposed have included providing a little xe2x80x9cballoonxe2x80x9d near the character which indicates what the character is either saying or thinking. Alternatively, a figure may be sold with an attached little booklet so that a consumer might read about what the character is thinking and, in general, what the personality traits of the character are.
With regard to the problem of making packaging or boxes aesthetically pleasing, it is already known in the art to form a box, such as a jewelry box, in a heart shape. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,162 which shows in FIG. 2 a heart shaped jewelry box 10. This patent, however, fails to recognize the advantage of using characters to make the package more aesthetically pleasing, let alone the advantage of letting people know what those characters are thinking.
With regard to using a three-dimensional character on its own, U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,604 discloses a rockable toy with a reflecting mirror. Essentially the mirror is positioned so that when a child looks in the mirror it will see a moving head of a figure. The mirror is not used to indicate or represent what the doll or toy is thinking but rather merely to entertain a child who may be playing with the toy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,865, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a doll with a mirrored face and a storage compartment. Specifically the patent discloses that xe2x80x9cportions of the appendages can be modified in a manner to provide storage compartments for elongated objects such as nail files, combs, knitting needles and the like. When so modified, the subject matter of the invention serves a dual function: 1) as a doll and 2) as a purse, clutch bag or overnight case.xe2x80x9d The patent also recognizes the desirability of using a convex or otherwise modified mirror to provide novel and amusing reflective effects. However, while this patent does recognize using a mirror with a doll, it does not use a mirror to convey what the doll is thinking,xe2x80x9d nor does it use a mirror or a combination of mirrors in any specialized way to convey such information.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,284, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a mirror arrangement designed to display objects such as jewelry. While this patent does use an interesting combination of mirrors to provide a display device, the display is generally designed to display jewelry while avoiding theft, rather than to provide for transportation of the jewelry. Furthermore, nowhere does the patent appear to disclose using characters in an aesthetic way.
As can be seen from the above discussion, while it is known and considered desirable to use characters to sell products or to sell characters themselves, and in addition, to have consumers be able to tell what those characters are thinking, none of the proposed solutions in the prior art have achieved these objectives.
Based on the above, there exists a need in the art for a combination of a character representation and an optical assembly which will be able to display a virtual image of what the character is thinking or to provide an image of its spirit or soul. More particularly, there exists a need in the art for a character represented by a doll that incorporates an optical assembly to display an image related to the doll""s character. Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for a character depicted on a package, such as a candy or a jewelry box, that also includes an optical assembly to display an image related to the character.
It is the main object of this invention to provide a character that is constructed in combination with an optical assembly which will provide a holographic, three dimensional virtual image floating around the character. The image allows the viewer to see the character""s soul or spirit to see whatever is on his/her mind.
It is another object of this invention to incorporate such a character and corresponding optical assembly within an outer housing such as a doll so that the optical assembly will project an image over the doll.
It is another object of this invention to provide a packaging or outer housing, such as a jewelry box or a candy box, wherein a character is displayed on the lid of the box and an optical assembly is provided to project a three dimensional image above the character.
Accordingly, the present invention provides for a display device for displaying a character having a virtual image wherein the display device comprises an outer housing having a hole formed therein, the outer housing being used to depict a character and an optical assembly including a first concave mirror, a second concave mirror facing the first concave mirror, one of the mirrors being provided with an aperture aligned with a hole in the outer housing and the other mirror supporting an object representative of what the character is thinking. With this construction, the object will appear to float above the character in an attractive fashion.
For example, in one preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer housing is in the form of a doll. The optical assembly actually makes up the major structural component of the doll""s head and body and the aperture in the optical assembly is aligned with the doll""s mouth. Additionally appendages such as legs and arms are attached to the doll""s torso. Optionally, the arms and legs may be attached using a wire frame type construction. Finally, the doll may be dressed as dolls are typically dressed to give the desired aesthetic appearance.
In another embodiment of the invention, the outer housing is in the form of a box such as that used to ship candies. Preferably the box exhibits a heart shaped construction and the optical assembly is mounted therein. A lid with a hole is also provided over the box and, when used to close the box, the hole in the lid is aligned with an aperture in the optical assembly. A depiction of a character is provided on top of the lid so that the hole is strategically placed within the character in order to enable the optical assembly to produce an image indicative of what the character is thinking or representative of its soul or spirit.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the outer housing may be in the form of a box having numerous drawers or storage compartments for various small items such as jewelry. The top of the jewelry box may support a depiction of a character and also have a hole located therein. The optical assembly will be mounted just below the top surface of the jewelry box so as to be able to project an image above the character.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, when taken in connection with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.